The latest hard data comes from Poland’s 2021 National Census, in which more than 4,700 people described themselves as pagans.
Of those, over 3,300 identified with “native faith” religious communities, while others reported different pagan traditions, including Druidry and Ásatrú.
Joanna Malita-Król, a researcher at the Jagiellonian University in the southern city of Kraków, told Poland's PAP news agency that "the figures are definitely growing."
Malita-Król, who studies contemporary pagan religions and wrote the book W rytualnym kręgu. Opowieść o współczesnych poganach w Polsce (In the Ritual Circle: A Story of Contemporary Pagans in Poland), said the real number is likely higher, "even a dozen or so thousand people."
She noted that the word "pagan," from the Latin paganus, originally meant a person from the countryside. Over time, it took on a pejorative sense as Christianity spread and the term became part of a dividing line between Christians and non-Christians.
Because of that history, some people who follow these traditions do not want to be labeled pagans and prefer to be described by a specific path, such as “native faith” adherents.
Some people practice alone, she said, while others gather in groups or join formal religious associations.
Many pagan celebrations are open to visitors, she added, with events sometimes advertised publicly, allowing newcomers to observe and decide whether they want to take part more fully.
From an academic perspective, Malita-Król said, “paganism” functions as a technical umbrella term for a modern religious phenomenon that involves a return to pre-Christian beliefs. That return can take the form of trying to revive what people believe existed in the past, or of drawing creatively on historical inspirations.
Asked what is behind the rise of these practices, especially native faith traditions, she pointed to a broader wave of interest in Slavic heritage that has been visible for some time in pop culture, fashion and festivals dedicated to Slavic mythology and culture.
Social media has amplified it, she added, with more creators and communities producing “Slavic-themed” content and encouraging people to explore older traditions.
She also linked the trend to secularization, the long-term shift away from organized religion, but stressed that it does not mean spiritual needs disappear.
Many people, she said, still seek meaning and ritual, but may want to do so outside a formal church structure.
In her interviews, Malita-Król said, most people who now practice pagan traditions had some earlier contact with the Catholic Church, which remains Poland’s dominant religion.
Over time, some became disillusioned with what they experienced in the church and felt it did not meet their spiritual needs. In accounts of turning toward pagan practices, she said, a recurring theme is a sense of belonging and of being “at home” during rituals and among others who follow a similar path.
She rejected stereotypes that portray modern pagans as people who abandon ordinary life for rural isolation. In her research, she said, practitioners come from varied educational and professional backgrounds, and many live in cities.
What often unites them is intensive reading and study, because exploring Slavic or other pre-Christian traditions typically requires substantial self-education.
Malita-Król said many contemporary pagan traditions are polytheistic and place strong emphasis on respect for nature, often viewing divinity as present within the world rather than separate from it.
Unlike religions built around fixed doctrines, she added, pagan paths are generally non-dogmatic. Practice tends to revolve around ritual, rather than formal statements of belief, a difference scholars describe as “orthopraxy” compared with “orthodoxy.”
Many communities mark a yearly cycle of about eight festivals, depending on the group. For native faith practitioners, these can include celebrations tied to solstices and equinoxes, as well as seasonal changes linked to vegetation and harvests. Some also observe festivals dedicated to specific deities, and many commemorate ancestors during Dziady, a tradition observed around late October and early November.
Rituals may also be used to mark life stages, including the birth of a child, the transition into adulthood, marriage celebrations, and funerals.
Beyond communal events, Malita-Król said, people often develop private daily practices, deciding for themselves how much time they devote to spirituality.
She added that the Christmas season can be significant for native faith adherents because it overlaps with the winter solstice, which they may celebrate as Szczodre Gody. In that framework, the solstice is seen as the rebirth of a sun god and a moment of hope as days begin to lengthen.
Malita-Król also explained that some customs widely associated with Christmas in Poland have older, pre-Christian roots as well.
She pointed to interpretations in which an empty place at the Christmas Eve table is understood as being for ancestors, and described older traditions around costumed caroling, poppy-seed dishes linked symbolically to the dead, hay under the tablecloth associated with prosperity, and the twelve dishes seen as representing the months of the year.
(rt/gs)
Source: naukawpolsce.pl